Submersible water-power device



J. C. ST REIBICH AND G. F. GRUVER.

SUBMERSIBLE WATER POWER DEVICE.

' APPLIQAI'HON FILED SEPT- 2,1918. 1,350,187, Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

foru specification.-

a Fig.1; 7

f UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

Joim dsranxnrcrrnnn GEORGE E. canvas, or LITTLEROCK, nRKANs As'SUBMERSIBLE wn'rnnsrownza DEVICE.

To all whom mdfl/COitOGT'nf 7 Be it known that we, JOHN C. ,STREIBICHand GEORGE F; GRUVER, citizens of the United States, andresidents ofLittle Rock, I

in the countyof Pulaski and State of Ar kansas, have inventedcertain newand useful Improvements in Submersible Water- Power Devices, ofwhichthef'ollojwing is a Our invention relates to waterpowerdevelopment, and its object is to utilize the power of runningstreamswithout the necesisity'of providing dams, races, canals or theike." l

Our invention'consists in the Combination v of parts and in the detailsvof construction and arrangement iof-parts as willgherein a 5 Fig.2 is avvertical longitudinal sectionon a plane'corresponding to the line 22 ofig. 3 is a detail. perspective view of the water-wheel and parts of thecasing and power transmission mechanism; and I 7 Fig. 4; is apartialcircumferentialsection through the water-wheel.

7. As we prefer to construct our invention,

the casing or flume -1 has the preferably widened'inlet end 2 from whichthe interior conduit 3 leads horizontally to the upper part of :thewheel chamber 4 above. the

water 'wheel 5, which is fixed on a vertical shaft 6 journaled in anupright frame 7 which stands across the wheel chamber 4:. The outlet 8from the casing 11 leads from a space'in the bottom of, thewheel chamberbelow the wheel 5. Y o Fixed on the upper end of the shaft 16 above theupper part of the;frame 7 is a bevel gear 9,- and a shaft 10qis'journaled horizontally in suitable bearings 11 on the top ofthe-frame 7 i and has, a bevel gear 12 meshing with the bevel gear 9. aI J a This-casing or flume is ;placed' on thebottom 13-o'f thezriver orother; flowing body ofwater lhand the shaft 10 extends over to the bank15 of the riverywhereit operatively connects withsuitable means toutilize the power transmitted through the shaft 10 from the rotatingwater'wheel 5. In the presentexample, a dynamo electric casing. g p Thewater wheel 5 is a relatively wide Specification of rear-a Patent; Patnt g-17, 1920 Application filed September 2;, 1918.. Serial mi. 252,282.r

a, machine 16 andits current distribu g P paratus 17 are illustrateddiagrammatically 1n Figs. 1 and 2; the shaft 10 entering apit 18 nearthe edge of the river bank 15, andcarrying a pulley 19 which has a'belt20 running up to the pulley of the electric mach ne 1,6 suitablysupported and housed above thepit l8. r v i Agate" 21 is' hinged at oneside of the y horizontal passage?) where the water passes to the [waterwheel 5 and may be swung across this passage to close it or may swingback against the side of the casing. As here shown, the closing ofthisgate is ef fected by means of a cable 22 connected to the'gate nearits-free end, and passing over a roller 23' on the casing side and overto the riverbank 15' where itis connected to suitable manipulatingapparatus 24. i It wlll be understood that the illustrations of F gs. 1and 2;are diagrammatic in that the casing land immediately associatedand inclosed parts are on a much largerscale than In practice, theentirecasing and associated parts would beof about the same length up in thebuilding with the power distributing plant,'wh ich may have any othersuitable arrangement. 7 v

The inlet end2 of the casingrl which, of course, is placed.up-stream,;is preferably provided with I a grating' 25 to prevent theentrance of substances which'wouldobstruct the operation of thewaterwheel or clog the passages of theca'slng. As here shown, thls gratlnghasa frame wltha triangular base the river and the'installations on thebank.

pointing up-stream at the middle of the casing, and having a ridgepole26extending up from the'pointed end of the bottom of the frame to themiddle of the topofthe casing; and slats 27 run horizontally from thesides of the casing to this ridge-pole. The horizontal arrangement ofthe slats is deemed preferable as presenting less obstruction to theinflowfl of water .;to the and low. cylindrical structure providedinteriorly with a plurality of radial vanes28 which incline at an angleof about fortyfive degrees from near top to bottom of the wheelstructure. Preferably, eachvane 28 side. As many series of these vanesas-may be desired may be provided in succession radially of the wheel.As here shown, there are'three such series, and the wheel' has the outercylindrical shell 30 and the shells 31,

from the outer shell 30' and the shaft 6. In the three spaces betweenthe shells are the several series oi vanes 28 held in their'i'n clinedpositions by having their lateral.

edges suitably fixed to the respective shells, A suitable spider 34'fixed onthe shaft 6 has arms fixed" to the innermost sl1ell38, andthns'suppor'ts the wheel on the shaft so that the wheel and shaft rotatetogether;

The gear on top of the frame 7 is inclosed in t water ng-ht gear-box andthe device is preferably so constructedthat thisgear box and thei'rameand w'heel may' be lifted bodily out of the casing for inspection,cleaning or repairs, theshait 1O swin in up with these parts when itsbearing near the pulley 19 is loosened. As here shown, the a ps? ratusis mounted in this manner by'having the upright sides of the frame 7slidable vertically in upright channels 36 inthe inner surfaces of therespective sides of the wheel chamber 4 (Fig, 3); Worm gears ma besubstituted. i Q

The wheel. is rotated by thepressure and impactof the water oftheflowing stream 14 diverted into the widened inlet end 2 of the casingland flowing therefrom throughthe wlieel'5 and out through theoutlet'8'. The backwardly extendin fins 29 along" the upper edges of theblades or wi nes es form pockets which add to the impelling effect ofthe water which, by its momentiilmtend's to flow across the top ('ifthe'wheel. -The Water a in acting upon'the vanes takes somewhat the courseindicated by the arrows in'Fig. 4.

This machine does not require admit or race or chute to get its power.Simply by submer ing it in a stream of Water in the channeli'the waterpassing" through creates the power which can be distributed to anyplant'that uses power. We have shown the device installedhorizontally,but'it will be iindeistood that the wheel will run-inpractically any position in which it is submerged; but it gives morepower when it lies down and forms a ehannel as shown in the casing.

We'have found in practice that a device constructed according to ourinvention in V which the water wheel is only about seven inches indiameter will raise forty-five pounds when submerged in a stream ofwater owing" about three miles per hour; It is not essential to submergeit very deep except that it should be placed far enough below thesurface of the water not tointerfere' with the running otboatsinthest-ream; Itwill be understood that the stream'would be considerablydeeper in proportion, as shown in Fig. 2; the device itself being, shownon a larger scale in proportion to the siirroundings for purpose ofclearness, as hereinbefore alluded to. Y 32 and 33 arranged insuccession inwardly from the outer shell so to the shaft 6 and aboutequally spaced from each other and While certain constructional detailsare deemed preferable in connectionwith our invention, and we have shownand described these rather specifically in elucidating the constructionand useof our inventiomas is required, we 'do not wish to be'understoodas beinggliniited to such precise showing and description, but havingthus fully-described our invention, what we claim as new and d6 siretosecure'by Letters Patent is:- 7 a '1].- In a submersible water powerdevice, a casing 'liavinggan inlet end and an outlet end, and anintermediate inclosed cylindri cal wheel chamber with passage from theinlet end into the upper part of said chamber, and a passagetothe'outlet end fromthe lowerpart of said chamber of unreducedcross-sectional area from the lower part of said chamber to theexterior-ofits downstream end, a water wheel, and mountings for saidWheel whereby said wheel rotates in a plane across said cylindricalchamber between the inlet and outlet passages, said waterwheelcomprising a series of vanes inclined to its axis, each seriesbeingconfined between cylindrical vertical shells a-ndeach vane slantingdownwardly and rearwardly from top to bottom with reference to'thezentrance of the water which passes therethrough, and powertransmittingnieans op= V eratively connected to said water wheel andextending'laterally from said casing for operative connection tosuitable power "di's tr-ibiiti'ng means,- a frame slidable into-and outof said wheel chamber and supporting said watenvheel and saidoperativeconnection, a water-tight box surrounding said operative connection onsaid frame, said box being removable from said casin alongwith saidframe and said water whee i 2.- In a'submersible water power device, acasing having an inlet end and an outlet end, and intermediate in'olosedcylindri= cal wheel chamber with apassageifrom the inlet nd into,thenpper part of saidicy'lin- 'ing' for operative connection to suitablepower distributing means, the inlet poi'tion ing means connected to saidgate for .elosof said casing gaving tapering side Walls ing it. a

leading to sai interior con uit, a gate g V hinged at, one side of saidcasing in the ta- 5 pered passage from the inlet end to the wheel I I vchamber and adapted to swing across said Witnesses: I

passage against the outwardly-tapering wall W. J. JENKINS,

of said passage to close it, and manipulat- V J. E; THOMPSON.

